Home Tips

Every now and then we would like to provide a tip that might help you conserve energy around the house. Here is the first one:

Use a programmable thermostat

Why: The average household spends more than $2,350 a year on energy bills – nearly half of which goes to heating and cooling. Homeowners can save about $180 a year by properly setting their programmable thermostats and maintaining those settings.

How: Install yourself or have a qualified heat/ac technician install it. A programmable thermostat can cost $25-$60 according to the features desired.

What to do: When you’re asleep or out of the house, if you turn your thermostat back 10°–15° for eight hours, you can save around 10% a year on your heating and cooling bills. The key to using programmable thermostats is to establish a schedule that is comfortable for your family so that you automatically reduce heating and cooling in your home when you don’t need as much. (http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=find_a_product.showProductGroup&pgw_code=TH)